Many regard FOX's lack of respect for the show as the cause of its original failure. FOX handled the broadcasting of Futurama so poorly that its original four seasons became five broadcast seasons, and episodes that were to air in 2002 first aired in 2003.

In addition to its unstable schedule, FOX rarely did any advertisement for the show on its own network. As a result, fans had difficulty determining when episodes were to air. Also because of FOX's censors certain scenes had to blue-penciled or removed from the episodes which is why most of them were rated TV-PG and only a few were rated TV-14.

When Adult Swim gained the rights to broadcast Futurama on cable in 2002, the show saw a much more stable schedule, despite being reruns. While people cite FOX for Futurama's failure, they often cite Adult Swim's handling of the show for its revival.